On Wednesday, attorneys from the Justice Department submitted a notice to a federal judge in California, referencing a recent ruling that halted a Glock ban in Connecticut.
The DOJ had initiated a court case aimed at overturning California’s “Unsafe Handgun Act” and the Glock prohibition after California Attorney General Rob Bonta chose not to engage in discussions regarding a potential settlement with Harmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Dhillon argued that these measures infringed upon the Second Amendment rights of state residents. Following a federal judge’s decision to put a similar Glock ban on hold in Connecticut, DOJ attorneys updated Judge Monica Ramirez Almadani, who was appointed by Biden, about the developments.
In a motion shared with Judge Almadani, it was pointed out that the decision in Connecticut is pertinent to the ongoing Motion for Preliminary Injunction related to this case. The DOJ’s filing stated that it shows another federal district court has reviewed and accepted a motion for a preliminary injunction to halt enforcement of a statute prohibiting the sale of handguns with cruciform trigger bars—often referred to as Glock bans. The court determined that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in their claims, asserting that these bans are presumptively unconstitutional under the Bruen decision and there isn’t a historical basis to challenge that presumption.
Additionally, California notified Judge Almadani that it had approved a version of the Glock 43.
The notice explained that the California Department of Justice now lists the Glock 43X CA model on the Handgun Roster without a plus symbol beside it, meaning it isn’t classified as a machinegun-convertible pistol under California Penal Code section 16885, and is therefore not restricted from sale, transfer, or delivery by firearms dealers.
California Governor Gavin Newsom had signed AB1127 into law back in October 2025, marking the first state-level prohibition of Glocks by categorizing them as “machine gun convertible pistols.” Other states like Maryland, Connecticut, and New York have since adopted similar bans, which are currently facing legal challenges.
Under existing federal law, the possession or manufacture of fully-automatic firearms is generally prohibited unless these firearms are registered or have received approval from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives according to the National Firearms Act of 1934.
